Ceramic Stereo

Ceramic Stereo by Victor Johansson is an amazing concept that seeks to make wireless connectivity and communication more straightforward by combining the interfaces of both the smartphone and stereo into one intuitive, simple interface.

He observed the clash of interfaces that usually occurs when connecting a smartphone to an amplifier. He attempted to solve this problem by having only three actions on the stereo – Play, Pause and Radio – at which to place your phone. The positions are only visible when powering-up the device and briefly as the selected action initiates because Johansson believes the markings are just visual clutter and eventually outlive their use.

Make sure to check out the video below!

By combining the physical with the intangible this project tries to tame the technology beast. Making technology, connectivity, functions, and actions more graspable and relatable without losing out of the function-rich screen-interfaces.

The observation that led to this concept comes from audio consumption and more specific the mismatch between where content usually resides today (in smartphones) and what is being used to amplify the playback (stereos and speakers)

Inspiration for the object and how it is positioned in the home came from the “key-bowl” – a place where you put your keys when you come home since you have no use for them within the home.

Placing your phone on one of the three unmarked positions starts one of the three actions (Play, Pause and Radio). These positions are only visible when powering-up the device and briefly as the action initiates.